Tit-for-tat move: Cases filed against PDM leaders in Punjab, KP

In a tit-for-tat move against the coalition government, cases have been filed against Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leaders including Rana Sanaullah and others in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on the charges of spreading hate against the state institutions.

Cases have been lodged against Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and others on sedition charges under the anti-terrorism act (ATA) following notification of the KP government, empowering a government official, the additional assistant commissioner (AAC), in the Dera Ismail Khan district to register cases against the PDM leaders.

The AAC was empowered to receive complaints from former federal minister Ali Ameen Gandapur or any other interested party and lodge FIRs with the police.

Yesterday, a first information report (FIR) was filed against Interior Minister and PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah under the Anti-Terrorism Act in Gujrat’s Industrial Area Police Station. The FIR was registered on the complaint of common citizen Shahkaz Aslam. According to the FIR’s content, Sanaullah blatantly targeted honorable judiciary and government officials in 2021, according to ARY News.

Punjab Home Minister Colonel (retd) Hashim Dogar said the charges framed in the FIR against the incumbent interior minister are serious and action would be taken in accordance with the law.

آج گجرات کے تھانہ انڈسٹریل ایریا میں رانا ثنا اللہ کے خلاف معزز عدلیہ اور سرکاری افسران کو ڈرانے دھمکانے کے خلاف پولیس نے ایف آی آر درج کر لی ہے۔ انتہای سنگین الزامات ہیں اور آئین اور قانون کے تحت کاروائ عمل میں لائ جاے گی pic.twitter.com/al5f7Dz3SU

— Col (R) Muhammad Hashim| Home Minister Punjab. (@ColhashimDogar) August 25, 2022

The FIR against Rana Sanaullah was lodged a few days after a terrorism case was registered against Imran Khan in Margalla police station for allegedly using derogatory language and threatening Additional Session Judge Zeba Chaudhry in his speech in Islamabad on August 20.

Moonis Elahi said in a Twitter message, “Rana Sanaullah, you filed fake cases against Imran Khan. A true case is now filed against you by the Pakistani nation. Arrest is expected soon.”

آپ @RanaSanaullahPK ہمارے PM @ImranKhanPTI کے خلاف جھوٹے مقدمے بناتے ہو۔ آپ کے خلاف پاکستانی عوام نے سچا مقدمہ بنایا ہے ۔ گرفتاری عنقریب pic.twitter.com/oZmGS0GEoZ

— Moonis Elahi (@MoonisElahi6) August 25, 2022

A case was also filed against the PDM leaders in Dera Ismail Khan over hateful statements against the state institutions.

Notification declared void

In the latest development, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) suspended the KP government’s notification for empowering the AAC for accepting complaints and lodging FIRs with police against the PDM leaders. A petition was filed in the PHC to declare the notification null and void. The petitioner insisted that the notification was meant to misuse the law to achieve political goals and create anarchy in the province.

The PHC also summoned KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on September 13 to seek a reply.

The notification read, “In exercise of powers conferred by Section 196 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and in pursuance of the cabinet decision on August 18, 2022, KP government is pleased to empower Mr Muneer Ahmed, Additional Assistant Commissioner, Dera Ismail Khan, to receive written complaints from Mr Gandapur or any other interested party and require local police to lodge FIRs under sections 108A, 153-A and 505 of the Pakistan Penal Code, read with any other enabling provisions of law, and to sanction and pursue such cases within his respective jurisdiction with effect from August 18, 2022.”

Commenting on the PHC’s ruling, Fawad Chaudhry said that the judicial system in Pakistan was discriminative. He said that as per the Islamabad High Court (IHC) proceedings, the statement against the state institutions was such a serious matter that they ignored the serious allegation of custodial torture and handed over Shahbaz Gill to the police, on the other hand, the PHC bench declared the KP cabinet’s decision of filing cases against the PDM leaders ‘worthless’, so it nullified it without sending any notice to the government.

Fawad Chaudhry criticised, “Yes, the judge is not subordinate to the law, the law is subordinate to the judges.”

پاکستان میں عدالتی نظام حیران کن تفریق کا شکار ہے آج ہی کے فیصلے لیں اسلام آباد ہائیکورٹ کے نزدیک اداروں کیخلاف بیان اتنا سنگین معاملہ ہے کہ انھوں نے زیر حراست تشدد یعنی Custodial Torture جیسے سنگین الزام کو نظرانداز کر کے شہباز گل کو پولیس کے حوالے کرنے کا کہا، دوسری طرف

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) August 26, 2022